Improvement in gutting apparatus for harvesters



ROBERT J MORRSON, 0F RGHMOND, VIRGINIA.

'IMPROVEMENT iN O-UTTlNG APPARATUS FG HARVESTRS.

lSpecification forming part of Letters Patent: No. 913.42335, dated August 14, 1855.

To all whom/t 'may concern:

Beit known that l, ROBERT J. Monarsour of' Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting-Ma chilies; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompany-V ingdrawingsinaking apart thereof, in which- Figure 1- represents in perspective a portion ot' the cutting apparatus of a harvesting-machine to'ivhich my invention relates. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section through one ot' the fingers. Fig. 3 represents a'ertical transverse section through one of the tingers; and Fig. 4 represents one of the stationary knives or cutters detached.

Similar letters, where they occur in the several drawings, denote like parts.

To enable others' skilled in the art to makev and use my invention, l will proceed to dcscribe the 'same with reference to the drawings.

A represents the front; part ot' lthe platform ol any ordinary harvesting-mschine, to which the fingers, guards, or guides for thcc'cutter's are usually attached.

a is a bar to which the cutting-blades b are attached, said bar, with its blades, being vi brated back and forth through the lingers by any of the contrivances'A well known for this purpose. Y

c is a rod or shaft hung in any snit-able supports, h, and upon which said rod or shaft are strung, so as to freely hinge or pivot thereon, the lids or covers d, each one having a vertical motion independent ofthe others, so as to yield either up ordown, as circumstances may require. 'The forward points of these lids are underneath therearward-projecting points cof the guards or fingers g, and through the points .e are passed setfscrewsf, by which the extent ofthe rising motion ofthe lids d may be regulated at pleasure. These .lids d may be cast solid,sonsto have within themselvestheweight necessary to hold them againstthe top surface of the knives inovingbelow them; or they may be hollow underneath, with their edges merely resting ou the moving cutters; or they may be blades is distinctly shown in Fig. 3, and the sunken part; ol' the finger, which they margin forms, as it were, a receptacle for the gunnny matter, Wiregrass, and such other material as usually chokes up or clogs cutters, to dropinto, and, as the rear of said receptacles are open, may pass or be readily cleaned out.

I propose making the stationary cutters, Fig. 3si'ckle-edged, the movable ones knifeedgedndinstead of placing thestationary or t/shaped cutters upon the tingers underneath the' vibrating Glitters, l claim the right ofplacing them, it'. l so elect, upon the lids d and over or above the movable cutters. ln this latter case they could not strictly b ecalled stationary knives or blades, as they woullirise and fall with the lids vertical-ly, but would not reciprocate horizontally. The purpose of this arrangement is for cleaning the movable cut! .ter ot' all clogging matter, thejlids, whether the blades be attached to them yor not, resting upon the moving cntteublades, and each one scraping er removing all accumulations 'there on, or rising and falling independent of each other, though they may be hung in pairs or sets, but are better hung singly.,

Having thus fully described thenature of my invention, whatl claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, vis

Thehinging of the lids and allowing them to rest severally und independently upon the nieving' cutters, in the manner and for thepnrpose substantially as herein set forth.

Roer. J. Monnison.

Witnesses;

J. W. Pncann, WALTER NEALF.. 

